Domestic hot water is an essential good in every household. Unfortunately, electricity prices are still rising and the demand for water is not decreasing. If you want not only to reduce your bills in the short term, but also to protect the environment, it is worth investing in PV modules, i.e. a photovoltaic installation. Heating water in this way has many advantages, and relies on the extraction of energy from the sun. What exactly does such an offer look like in practice?

What is photovoltaic water heating?

If you want to heat water with photovoltaic panels, you should already take the appropriate steps at the installation stage. You can decide whether you want photovoltaic panels for supplying energy to the entire house or just for heating water. We also need to consider whether we want to have water in a boiler or whether we will choose other methods. It is not a complicated installation - usually in detached houses, photovoltaic sets with 4 or 8 panels are mounted on the roof. There is then no need to connect them to the electricity grid, and this number of panels is sufficient for the needs of a family of several people. An attached voltage converter (so-called inverter) converts the DC current obtained into AC current, which powers heaters and water heaters.

In summary, in order to generate electricity for domestic water heating, a photovoltaic system should consist of the following components:

  • photovoltaic panels,
  • set of cables,
  • presence of an inverter,
  • mounting system,
  • electrical safeguards.

It is also worth having a thermostat to heat the water in the boiler at times of high sunlight. The installation is quick and the exact process depends on our expectations. We can power only the boiler heater, the heat pump or supply energy to all electrical appliances. It is worth thinking about the last solution, which is considered to be the most economical.

Remember that the installation of photovoltaic panels must be reported to the electricity company.

Solar collectors vs. photovoltaic panels

Renewable energy sources can be different. If you want to obtain energy from solar radiation, you can opt for solar collectors or the photovoltaic panels in question - these are not interchangeable terms. Solar collectors are only used to heat domestic water, and their application is somewhat more complicated. For example, a plus temperature is required to heat the water, whereas a photovoltaic system heats the water even at minus temperatures outside.

Advantages of heating water with photovoltaic panels

A photovoltaic kit for heating water has many advantages, among which we highlight:

  • significant cost savings, as the PV panels extract free solar energy (additional costs are only associated with the installation and the fixed fees for the panels)
  • water can be heated all year round, whatever the weather conditions
  • environmental protection - heating water in this way does not emit harmful gases or pollute the environment
  • maintenance-free operation of the installation

Investing in photovoltaic technology, however, has many more advantages. In addition to obtaining hot water, we can produce electricity, which we then use to heat the entire house or power electrical appliances. The surplus energy created is fed into the power grid, from which we draw electricity during the winter or autumn.

Is a photovoltaic installation for water heating enough?

For heating water in a detached house, a photovoltaic system with up to eight panels is sufficient. If you have any questions, it is always worth discussing the use of the installation with specialists. A suitably sized installation can be used not only to heat water, but also to power the entire house using energy from the sun. Photovoltaic panels will eliminate the need for traditional electricity.

With such an installation, a large amount of water can be successfully heated and no other solutions are necessary, even in winter.

In summary, photovoltaics have many advantages and applications. Contrary to appearances, it is not only used to produce electricity (current) to power domestic appliances. If our aim is only to heat domestic water, we can also use this technology. On the other hand, it is not worth limiting ourselves to obtaining domestic hot water - photovoltaics have much greater potential.

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